Janakpur Bolts bag second win, Chitwan make winning start at NPL

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec. 3: Captain Anil Kumar Sah's half-century led Janakpur Bolts to their second consecutive victory while a five-wicket haul from former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir helped the Chitwan Rhinos secure a winning start in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Monday.

Janakpur triumphed over Karnali Yaks by eight wickets in their second match of the league. In the inaugural match, Janakpur had also outperformed Biratnagar Kings, winning by eight wickets on Saturday.

With two wins from two matches, Janakpur sits atop the league table with four points. They successfully chased down the 142-run target set by Karnali in just 15.1 overs, losing only two wickets.

In the second match of the day, the opening partnership between Anil and Aasif Sheikh turned pivotal, as they put together an 84-run stand for the first wicket, marking the highest opening partnership in NPL history so far. 

Leg-spinner Mausam Dhakal broke the partnership by dismissing Asif at deep cover in the 10th over. Asif scored 36 runs off 29 balls, including two fours and two sixes. 

However, this breakthrough did little to trouble Janakpur, as Anil partnered with Lahiru Milantha for a subsequent 33-run partnership, bringing Janakpur to 117/2 in the 13th over. Milantha was then trapped lbw by Zeshan Maqsood, having scored 24 runs off just 13 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Anil then collaborated with James Neesham to steer Janakpur to a comfortable victory. Anil ended the match not out on 62 runs from 42 balls, hitting six boundaries and three sixes. 

He completed his half-century off just 35 balls and was named Player of the Match. Neesham contributed 16 runs off eight balls, including two fours and a six.

Karnali, electing to bat first, scored 141 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Sompal Kami's decision to bat first backfired as Karnali stumbled to 35/4 during the powerplay. Opener Dev Khanal was dismissed for just one run, and star batsman Shikhar Dhawan managed only 14 runs from 14 balls before being bowled by Canadian Harsh Thaker.

Other Karnali batters, including Jamaican Chadwick Walton (8), Hong Kong's Babar Hayat (12), and Oman's Zeeshan Maqsood (0), also struggled to make significant contributions. Gulshan Kumar Jha emerged as the top scorer for Karnali, making 36 runs off 27 balls, which included one four and three sixes, before being bowled by Kishor Mahato in the 16th over with the score at 79/6.

Despite the early setbacks, a crucial half-century partnership between lower-order batsmen Sompal and Arjun Gharti helped Karnali set a respectable total. Arjun scored 33 runs off 22 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes, but was run out in last over. Sompal finished unbeaten on 29 runs, which included three fours and a six, off just 13 balls. 

The two batsmen put together a 56-run partnership for the seventh wicket, gathering most of their runs in the last two overs. Arjun brilliantly struck Harsh Thakar for two maximums and two boundaries in the penultimate over, scoring 22 runs from six balls before being dismissed in the fourth ball of the last over. Sompal added 20 runs against James Neesham in the final over.

Captain Sompal said after the top order failed Karnali could not add much total. “We expected to add around 170 runs but we could not achieve that. From last we added as much we could. I do not regret my decision to bat first. The top five batters could not bat well today.”

Tanvir shines with ball

A five-wicket haul from former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir helped Chitwan defeat Kathmandu Gurkhas by five wickets in the opening match, held at TU Cricket Ground on Monday.

Tanvir, who retired from international cricket in March 2023, recorded impressive figures of 5 for 21 as Chitwan restricted the Kathmandu Gurkhas to 111 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. 

After claiming the first fifer of the NPL, Tanvir, named Player of the Match, shared that his experience was instrumental in the victory over Kathmandu.

“It is difficult to return to cricket after a long time, but I have played over 400 matches. That experience proved beneficial in the match against Kathmandu,” he stated following the game. However, he acknowledged the challenges of playing on the TU pitch. “Bowling in T20 is never easy. 

This was my first experience in Nepal. The surface was a bit slow and favoured the spinners. I adapted my bowling by observing the conditions, utilizing my experience in subcontinental cricket,” he explained. 

Chitwan achieved victory by scoring 114 runs in just 17 overs. Middle-order batters Santosh Karki and Sharad Veshavkar forged an unbeaten 43-run partnership for the sixth wicket, steering Chitwan to success. Santosh top-scored with an unbeaten 28 runs, which included two fours and one six off 31 balls, while former Nepali cricketer Sharad added 11 runs off 21 balls, remaining not out.

Before Santosh and Sharad guided their team to victory, Chitwan faced early struggles, losing five wickets during the power play. Opener Deepak Bohara was dismissed lbw for 7 runs off a single ball in the second over, while fellow opener Hasan Esakhil contributed 12 runs before getting out on the first ball of the fourth over. 

Luc Benkenstein hit two sixes and one four but was dismissed for 22 runs off 17 balls in the seventh over. Chitwan found themselves at 68 for 5 in the ninth over as Captain Kushal Malla and Ravi Bopara both fell for identical scores of 11 runs.

Santosh and Sharad batted patiently to secure victory with 17 balls to spare. Bowler Shahab Alam finished with figures of 3 for 20, while Gerhard Erasmus and Dan Douthwaite each took a wicket for Kathmandu.

After being put in to bat first, the Kathmandu Gurkhas struggled against Tanvir's relentless bowling. Contributions from Michael Levitt (25 runs off 16 balls), top-scorer Sumit Maharjan (29 runs off 41 balls), Shankar Rana (16 runs off 17 balls), and Dan Douthwaite (19 runs not out) helped Kathmandu reach a three-figure total.

Following the loss, Kathmandu’s captain Karan KC emphasized the need for Nepali players to step up their performance. 

Tanvir maintained constant pressure on the Kathmandu batsmen from the start, dismissing opener Stephen Eskinazi for 2 runs, Levitt for 25, and Bhim Sarki for just 1 run in his opening three-over spell. 

He later took the wickets of lower-order batsmen Karan KC and Shahab Alam, both for a single run each, in his fourth over, effectively closing the Kathmandu innings. 

Rijan Dhakal, Kushal Malla, Amarsingh Routella, and Luc Benkenstein also contributed with one wicket each from the bowling department.Rijan Dhakal, Kushal Malla, Amarsingh Routella and Luc Benkenstein picked one wicket each to contribute from bowling department.